Pineapple Princesses began as a tribute to Ruby Borrowdale, the home economist behind the 'Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book' tested in the Golden Circle kitchen and modified and updated in the Pineapple Princesses' test kitchens.
As Ruby said "pineapple is a versatile food" . . .
no fat, high in vitamin C and full of the flavour of Queensland sunshine. The blog continues as more and more pineapple recipes are discovered from around the world.

Friday, 31 March 2017

It all began with the discovery of this cookbook . . . and then the horror that it didn't contain a single recipe with pineapple - fresh or canned!

So we thought we should correct that omission at a dinner party of our own!

THE COOKBOOK

"We would like to state clearly that, beginning with the very first recipes, LES DINERS DE GALA with its precepts and its illustrations, is uniquely devoted to the pleasures of Taste. Don't look for dietetic formulas here.

We intend to ignore those charts and tables in which chemistry takes the place of gastronomy. If you are a disciple of one of those calorie-counters who turn the joys of eating into a form of punishment, close this book at once; it is too lively, too aggressive and far too impertinent for you." The introduction to Les Dîners de Gala

“You certainly know these thousand year old eggs, one of the
crowns o Chinese cuisine. We will not presume here to reach their ultimate
perfection, but we will simply try to help you follow an amusing recipe which
has the advantage of being prepared ahead of time.

First, boil the eggs for ten minutes in salted boiling water.
Take them out, put them under cold running water which will make it easier to
shell them. In the same water in which the eggs had boiled, add the cloves,
sugar, vinegar, a lot of Tabasco sauce, the lemons (cut I eighths) and thyme.
Boil for fifteen minutes. Shut off the flame, dip in the tea-bag and let them
steep for 10 minutes.

In a jar, put the diced onions and garlic. Add the shelled
eggs, and pour the brth so that the eggs are completely immersed. Close the jar
and keep it on the lower shelf of your refrigerator.

Be patient for three weeks before opening the jar and
serving. These eggs go well with cold meats and fish.” Dali

Fry the finely sliced shallots in oil. When they become
transparent, add the water; at boiling point throw in the rice. Add salt and
Cayenne pepper. When the rice is cooked, all the water should be absorbed. In
the rice add 2 ounces of the pine nuts (replaced
by pineapple, chopped and browned in a pan), the cheese, and the slice of
bread dipped in the fig liquor. Mix it all well and stuff the chicken. Sew up
the bird.

In a saucepan put the oil in which the shallots are getting
golden; add honey, vinegar, water, salt, pepper and put the chicken over the
mixture. Cover and let simmer slowly. After half an hour add the powdered
almonds. If the gravy becomes too thick, thin out with some water and fig
liquor.

Let it cook for another good half-hour (or longer). Remove the chicken, and add the remaining 6 ounces of
pine nuts, and the olive oil until it boils once and no more.

I suggest yellow apples for this recipe, since they impart an
essential sourish taste to the dish. If, however, you use another type of apple,
you will have to add two tablespoons of vinegar to the stuffing.

Make a large hole at the center of the apples, which is quite
easy to manage if you are careful and use a pointed knife.

In such a manner, you will have cored the apples. Throw out
the pits but keep the pulp attached to the core.

In a frying-pan, put the first tablespoon of oil, the thin
strips of ham, the sliced onion and the pulp you saved from the (apple) cores.

Let it simmer over a low flame for a good half-hour, stirring
now and then, while it cooks and dries up at the same time.

Taste it; if it is not tart enough – and it all depends on
the degree of ripeness of the fruit – add some vinegar.

Now, fill the apples with the stuffing and wrap each of them
with two slices of bacon, using the wooden toothpicks to secure the bacon and a slice of cheese cut into the shape of
a … pineapple.

Brush with oil and bake in a hot oven – 450F° – for 20
minutes.

It may happen that the fruit will crack while baking, but
they won't fall apart since the slices of bacon and will hold them together. (Dali)

Serve on top of
grilled pineapple rings.

Peaches with almonds.

Soak the almonds and walnuts in cold water for 2 hours.

Crush very vigorously as you have to make a really smooth
paste.

Then add the sugar combined with water and brandy. Mix well.

Whip the heavy cream to a whipped-cream consistency. Stop
whipping as soon as it stands around the beater. Since we don't want to make
butter, let's put the whipped cream in the refrigerator for another hour. Mix
with the other ingredients.

Pour into a flat mold which you have already greased.

Put into the freezer for 1 hour, then in the refrigerator for
another hour.

Meanwhile, split the peaches and twisting them around, detach
them from their pits.

Sprinkle with icing sugar and fill the center hole with
cranberry sauce (or pineapple jam). Light
the broiler and put the peaches in the oven, at the bottom of a baking dish (with a little pineapple juice. Cover with
foil.)Bake for 15 minutes.

Unmold the almond-nut mixture and put it over the very hot
peaches. Serve. (Dali)

Just to simplify
things – I beat the cream with a little icing sugar, no freezing, just
refrigerating. And served in a bowl decorated with crystallised pineapple, chocolate silver balls and a Pineapple Princess, Anne

Thursday, 23 March 2017

InHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Chapter 16 Through the Trapdoor J. K. Rowling writes that during the first year exams at Hogwarts ”Professor
Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a
pineapple tap-dance across a desk.”

Sadly this scene wasn't used in the movie version of the book ! So you'll have to use your imagination !

Two of my favourites: Professor Minerva McGonagall and a pineapple.

(From Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone)

"Thank you for the pineapple, by the way . . . you're quite right, it is my favourite" said Professor Horace Slughorn, Potions Master, to Tom Riddle as he reached for a piece of the crystallised fruit. (From Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince)

Our re-enactment of that very moment!

Yes, there were some very shady dealings between Professor Slughorn and certain students in regard to crystallised pineapple . . . in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

https://www.hp-lexicon.org/thing/crystallised-pineapple/

"Horace formed a kind of club of his favorites with
himself at the center, making introductions, forging useful contacts between
members, and always reaping some kind of benefit in return, whether a free box
of his favorite crystallized pineapple or the chance to recommend the next
junior member of the Goblin liaison Office." Albus Dumbledore

"I confidently expect you to rise to Minister of Magic
within twenty years. Fifteen, if you keep sending me pineapple, I have
excellent contacts at the Ministry."Horace Slughorn to Tom Riddle

“Once Harry saw Slughorn buying it for himself at Honeydukes
in Hogsmeade. Crystallized pineapple symbolized his life-long love of luxury,
even when Harry viewed him as a much-younger man and Tom Riddle's teacher:
‘sitting ...in the comfortable winged armchair in his office, his feet resting
upon a velvet pouffe, a small glass of wine in one hand, the other rummaging in
a box of crystallized pineapple’ “

Classic Wizarding
World Treats from Soytherin, Seitanclaw, Tofupuff and Vegandor.

“Whether trying to bribe him for information or to get on his
good side so you can become part of the Slug Club, you can make Professor
Slughorn’s favorite vegan treat–crystallized pineapple–yourself!

The first time I tried making this it didn’t turn out too
well, but at least the results made really good pineapple-berry smoothies
instead of going to waste. I then worked out what I had been doing incorrectly
and gave it another try so now I can bring you a proper recipe! A warning
though, this is fairly time-consuming and works much better if you have a
dehydrator (unlike me).

Also, when you’re finished with the syrup don’t just throw it
out. You now have pineapple syrup, which can be used for countless awesome
things… sweeten iced tea, use in a frosting or glaze for coconut cupcakes (or
coconut pancakes!), mix with cream soda and make a pineapple soda/coconut ice
cream float, pineapple curried rice… the ideas are endless!”

If using fresh pineapple: peel, cut into 1/4 inch slices, and
cut out the core so you have nice little pineapple rings. (if using canned
pineapple: open can and drain.)

In a large pot, make a simple syrup: 1 part sugar to 2 parts
water. I used 4 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar for my one pineapple, but you
just want to make sure the syrup will cover all the fruit. Stir until the sugar
dissolves.

Bring your syrup to a boil (if using a candy thermometer, it
should reach 235°F). Add fruit and bring back to a simmer. Cook for about an
hour, covered, until the pineapple is translucent.

Remove pineapple from pot and put on a cooling rack placed on
top of a cookie sheet to drain.

Next step is to dry the fruit out. If you have a dehydrator,
great! You can use that! However, if you do not have one just put the fruit (on
the cooling rack & cookie sheet contraption) in your oven at 200°F until
dry. This may take a while. Or, you could apparate to a desert and set it out
in the sun to dry out.

Once your candied pineapple is dry, sprinkle with sugar and
let cool. Store in an airtight container.

1 Preheat the oven to
200°C Slice the pumpkin in half pole to pole and scoop out the seeds. Don’t
worry about the stringy fibers; they are had to remove and won’t affect the
results. Place the pumpkin halves face down on a baking sheet and roast 45
minutes to 1 hour until soft. Remove from the oven.

2 When the pumpkin is
cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Place the
cooked pumpkin in a large fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and push the pumpkin
through using a rubber spatula. Scrape and mash as you push; I will take
several minutes. Discard the pulpy mass left in the sieve. Stir the sieved
pumpkin in the bowl to evenly distribute the juices, and then measure out one
cup.

3 Place the cup of
sieved pumpkin in a pitcher along with the apple juice, grape juice, and pineapple
juice. Stir vigorously until the pumpkin is completely dispersed. Chill the
juie until it’s very cold.

4 Before serving,
stir the juice well, as the pumpkin will settle to the bottom. Fill crystal
goblets with ice cubes and pour the juice over the ice.

Makes 5 cups

I preferred not to discard the pumpkin mash left in the sieve and made
little pancakes – or you could use it in a muffin or scone mix, Anne

Mix
the condensed milk, milk, egg yolks, cornstarch and vanilla. Place in
a double boiler and cook over hot water, stirring constantly, until
thickened. Continue cooking without stirring for 10 minutes. Cool.

Cut
the sponge cake layer into 6cm squares and place in the bottom of a
serving dish. Mix the pineapple juice and rum and sprinkle over the
cake. Cover with ½ the custard mixture. Cut up ½ the pineapple and
arrange over the custard. Sprinkle with ½ the coconut. Add a layer
of the remaining custard and cover with whipped cream. Decorate with
the remaining coconut, pineapple slices and cherries.